Machine for filling and closing match-boxes.



No. 657,573. Patented Sept. 11, 1900.

A. SCHUSTER. MACHlNE FOB FILLING'AND CLOSING MATCH BOXES.

(Application filed Oct. 27, 1898.) (No Model.) 7 Sheets8heet 2.

1m: mam warms co, mo'w-y'mpi. WASHINGTON, o. a

Patented Sept. H, I900.

A. SCHUSTER. MACHINE FOR FILLING AND CLOSING MATCH BOXES.

(Application filed Oct. 27, 1896.)

7 Sheets-8heet 3,

\No Model.)

47/14/1114?Ill/147115114?11,6

we nonmsrmns cO'rPkovO-uTNO" wumuc-mn, n. c.

No. 657,573. Patented Sept. 1900.

A. SCHUSTER.

MACHINE FOR FILLING AND CLOSING MATCH BOXES.

(No Model") (Application filed Oct. 27, 1896.) I 7 sheets sheet 4- Patented Sept. .ll, I900.

A. SGHUSTEB. MACHINE Fun FILLING AND CLOSING MATCH BOXES.

(Applicatidn filed Oct. 27, 1896.)

7 Sheets8heat 5.

(No Model.)

, Inve 71/ 07" No. 657,573. I Patentd Sept. II, I900. A. SCHUSTEB.

MACHINE FOR FILLING AND CLOSING MATCH BOXES.

(Appliation filed Oct. 27, 1896.) (N0 Model.) 7 Sheets'-Sheet 6.

No. 657,573. Patented Sept. ll, I900.

A. SCHUSTER.

MACHINE FOR FILLING AND CLOSING MATCH BOXES.

(Application filed. Oct. 97, 1896.)

(No Model.) 7 Shets-Sheat 7.

wlmesses: v V M 62% QZJ/ BY.

V I Ar-lowers UNITED ST T-Es PATENT OFFICE.

"ALBERT SOHUSTER, on ERLIN, GERMANY.

MACHINE FOR Fl LLl N G AND cLosme MATCH-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 657,573, dated September 1 1, 1900.

i Application filedOctober 2 7. 1896. Serial No. 610.215. (No model.)

T0 all whom/ it may concern: I i

Be it known that I, ALBERT SCHUSTER, a citizen of the German Empire, residingat Berlin, Germany, havein vented an Improvement in Machines for Fillingand OlosingMatch- Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention concerns an im prove ment in machines for filling match-boxes. The principal effect of the improvement lies in that the friction between the matches, which was formerly ineyitable during the whole filling process, has been reduced to a minimum, and that consequently the heads are protected from injury, and that the explosions so frequentlyoccnrrin g are obviated. To this end the separated matches are transported from the charging place to theinner box in the manner that they remain at rest on the conveying medium without change of position or subjection to friction anywhere.

To carry out thisinvention, aslide or carriage with a compartment havinga movable bottom has been chosen. The separated matches, which rest on the. movable bottom of this compartment, are received into the compartment so formed by lowering the bottom. The slide or carriage carries the matches received in the compartment until they are under the inner box, which has its opening turned downward. Whenthe slide moves, thematches remain completely at rest and are not subjected to friction between them-.

selves or otherwise. When the compartment of the slide has arrived under the inner box, the matches are, by raising the bottom of the compartment, lifted into the inner box without friction.

The accompanying drawings" demonstrate View illustrating the position of the inner and the outer boxes before they are pushed one into the other. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate various working positions of the piston and and 7 are detail views.

the, carriage in longitudinal section. Figs. 6

Figs. 9 and 10 represent in top view the action of a facingplate on i the carriage, by which the compartment is changed longitudinally during the filling process.- Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing the box-holder serving to hold the inner box in exact position. 0 Figs. 12 and 13 are detail views illustrating the action of placing the inner box within the outer one.

The invention relates particularly to the sliding carriage a, which reciprocates on a d. The shaking device serves the purpose of forwarding the matches evenly into a gathering-reservoir. Thisgathering-reservoird,

which fprms a continuation of the reservoir 0, touches with its lower edges the surfaces of the sliding carriage a and has a slit at its right side (see Figs. 6 to 8) throughwhich a separating-knife 6, carried bya block. 0, 7

moves for the purpose of separating a quantityof matches, corresponding to. the depth or capacity of the box to be employed, from the match-pile in the gathering-reservoir d. A piston or forcerf is movably arranged between the walls of the reservoir for the purpose of compressing the matches piled in the gathering-reservoir, and this piston is pressed by means of a spring to press on the matches before they are separated. These parts, ex-

cepting the sliding carriage a, form no part of the invention. They are only mentioned for the better understanding of theinven- .tion. t

The most essential part of the invention is the sliding carriage a. It has an opening or f cut-out g, Figs. 7 and 9, which corresponds. in breadth to the inner width oftan inside box, so that an inside box guided over the opening g with the edges of itsside walls on the longitudinal edges of the opening cannot for ' the arm Z, Fig.2, and an inner box before the ated by hand and which slides in thetable by shoulder Z. I'lhe separating or dividing kni 'e ehas come out of the gathering-reservoir 61, so that the matches in the filling-reservoir a can fall into the gathering'reser'voir d as far as the surface of the sliding When the carriage moves in the arrow direction 1, the inner box is guided under the boxholder y and the outer box in front of the bracket 0. In this movement of the carriage the two plate-springs if of the box-holder are held up by a lever 3 catching into the upper slit 'y of the block y, Figs. 1 and 11, and the position of the lever g is determined by a pawl 3 Fig. 1, which catches with its nose under the levery During the travel of the carriage a cam P, Fig. 1, fixed on the carriage, slides with its flat side along a lever 2, situated slantingly on its path, and thereby presses the latch y out of its position, so that the lever y presses downward by means of a spring when the inner box has arrived under the box-holder. In this operation the side springs y are pushed downward with the block, and at the same time the springs g catch over the face sides of the inner box. After the termination of the movement of the carriage in the arrow direction 1 the box is held on all sides and from above after the fingers n of the hand have set in front of the box'. At the limit of the movement of the carriage in the arrow direction 1 the compartment formed by the opening or cut-out g and the piston g opens in the following manner: n the guide 9 of the piston g is pivotally supported a latch 9 (see Figs. 4 and 11,) influenced by the pressure of a spring. The latch catches under a shoulder g of the piston g and holds the piston in raised position until it has arrived under the gathering-reservoir 01. At this time the latch g has come into contact with a stop-cam 9 Fig. 1, fixed under the table. This cam disengages the latch. g by means of its slanting surface precisely at the moment when the carriage has reached the limit of its motion. The piston g then falls down by its own weight, leaving the compartment g free for the reception of the-matches, which have been divided of (See Figs. 6 and 7.) When by the knife e. the matches fall into the compartment, it has been lengthened by the recession of the movable face-wall h. (See Figs. 9 and 10.) In the movement of the carriage in the direction of arrow 2 the carriage brings the quantity of matches contained in the compartment as far as the inner box, already held by the boxholder. (See Fig. 8.) In this operation the roller 1', connected with the movable face-wall h of the compartment, has passed the slanting plane of the plate 2", whereby the compartment has been shortened, by the exact length of the matches. (See Fig. 10.) When the compartment has arrived under the inner box, the piston g is moved upward again by pressing upon a piston w, which may be opercarriage a.

means of a lever 'v, pivoting around 'v, and when the piston rises the latch g catches again under the shoulder g of the piston g and holds the piston until the opposite movement of the carriage is accomplished. At the same time the matches have been lifted into the inner box, the opening of which lies face downward, while the piston travels up, and, moreover, an arm w, fixed on the piston 10, has come into contact with a shoulder 1.0 of the lever 11 Fig. 1, whereby the latter raises the block y of the box holder, and consequently also the two springs 3 while the shoulder of the latch if catches again under the lever y. into the outer box, standing on a slide over the bracket 0, by means of the slider .2, Figs. 3 and 5, passing between the plate-springs p of the bracket 0. At the insertion of the innor box into the outer box a slide-arm Z rigidly connected with the slider z, in front of which side arm are deposited a row of inner boxes, pushes one or the same in front of the shoulder l on the carriage. At the next travel of the carriage in the direction of the arrow 1 the inner box in front of the shoulder Z is again pushed under the box-holder, and an outer box placed in front of the arm Z is pushed into the path c over the bracket 0, in which operation the outer box pushes the ready combined match-box z'. e., the inner box inserted in the outer one-toward the end in the path 0 by as muchas its own width, so that the boxes leave the path 0 at the end 18 singly, when a considerable quantity is filled and are there caught in baskets or transferred into packing-machines- The machine can be driven by any known suitable means, and as they are not essential to the invention they are omitted in the drawings.

I claimr 1. In combination in a machine for filling "match-boxes, a reciprocating carriage a having a compartment or opening extending therethrough from top to bottom, a holder y above the carriage adapted to hold the box in inverted position over the carriage, a reciprocating piston g below the reciprocating carriage and arranged to be moved up into the compartment thereof, means for supporting the piston from the reciprocating carriage, a pawl g for holding the piston up, a reservoir 01 above the carriage and located to one side of the box-holder y, means for separating a quantity of matchesin said reservoir from the main body of the matches, means for releasing the piston g to allow the same to fall when the compartment arrives under the reservoir d, a movable face-wall h for the compartment, means forretracting said face-wall while the matches are dropping from the reservoir into the compartment, means for operating the face-wall inwardly to. reduce the size of the compart- The inner box can now be slid.

4 I p M 1 'V657.5V73,

ment and for raising the piston g and means (for uniting the box with its covering portion,

- substantially as described.

"2'. In combination, the reciprocatingicarriage having an. opening therein extending vertically therethrol.1gh,'a movable face-wall h, a reservoir for the matches above the car,- riage, springs i for retracting the face-wall to enlarge the opening or compartment and an incline t" for moving the face-wall inwardly in the movement of the. carriage, substan-' tially as described. a

3; In combination, the reciprocating car- Iriage having a compartment or opening therethrough, a holder 'y above the carriage, a

spring y under which the box is forced, the two springs g bent outwardly at their lower ends, a movable part guided to move vertically and carrying said springs for determinsprings y and zfi'holding the box yieldingly,

and allowing for difierent-sized boxes, sub-z stantially as described.

t 4. In combination, a reciprocating carriage having an opening extending vertically therei of, a plunger-working in said opening, means forsupporting the plunger. on the carriage whereby it moves therewith and formsthet bottom-of the cavity in the carriage, means above the carriage toteed the matches into the opening, meansfor holding the boxes. in

inverted position above the said carriage and means forreciprocatingthe carriage whereby are fed into position above the opening, and

to lower with the supply ofmatches supported thereby, substantially as described.

5. In combination, the carriage having an opening to receive the matches, saidopening having a movable side wall, means for moving the side wall to increase or diminish the size of the opening, means for delivering the matches to said opening and a piston workin g in said opening from below, substantially as described. I I a In testimony whereof =1 hereunto set my hand in presence of two Witnesses.

ALBERT SOHUSTER.

Witnesses: I i

- W. HAUPT,

ROBERT KRAYN. 

